What Will Be the Effect of Terron Armstead's Departure?
In a surprising turn of events, Terron Armstead has announced his retirement and left the Dolphins without their standout left tackle. Armstead came to Miami back in 2022 signing a five-year deal for $75 million with the team. However, at age 33, Armstead has officially ended his amazing 12-year NFL career. The question for the Dolphins is how much this will impact their team next season.
Firstly, Armstead has been outstanding for the Dolphins, and last season he started 15 games for the team. Armstead is a five-time Pro-Bowler with all of those nominations coming in the last seven years of his career. In today’s game, the left tackle position is one of the most important positions on the entire team for their work to block for their quarterback against some premier pass rushers. With Miami’s multiple-time Pro-Bowler now retired, how will this affect the Dolphins next season?
The Dolphins have been making it a priority to protect Tua Tagovailoa due to the serious head injuries that he has sustained over the past few years. This sudden news by Armstead should cause serious concern for all Dolphin fans. It is clear that if Tua takes a few more to the head, then his playing career will likely be over for medical reasons. With Tua’s massive contract extension getting signed just last year, the Dolphins are hoping that he can remain their franchise quarterback for the next several years. However, if Miami cannot find a way to protect their quarterback, they could very easily lose Tua to injury again and find themselves losing a lot of games next season. The Dolphins’ season hinges on the health and success of Tua Tagovailoa, and the departure of their standout tackle isn’t encouraging news. Miami did find a way to finish 8-9 last season, with Tua only being available for 11 of those games. If the Dolphins are going to have a lackluster offensive line, they better look into acquiring a suitable backup quarterback who can keep the Dolphins' offense afloat in the wake of Tua likely being injured. With the other AFC East teams on the rise after a big offseason, especially for the Patriots, the Dolphins need to find a solution at the tackle position or they risk falling further behind in the division.
